Japanese sake pitcher in the shape of the mythological ‘Kappa” who lives in freshwater streams - known for drowning people and stealing a mythical  body organ called a ‘shirikodama’. Most important about the Kappa is a depression on the top of its head that must be kept full of water to stay strong.  Folklore insists that the tradition of bowing in Japanese culture derives from the fact that when one bows to a Kappa, they must bow back, dumping the water and disarming them. This Kappa has a hole in the top of its head. Soft white glaze with facial markings, it is not new and about 6” tall. Bought at the Toji Temple flea market in Kyoto, not new, about 6” tall.